Truck Camper Question

[follow maggie]

So yesterday i bought an older 1990s model slide in camper for my pick up. It has an 8-1/2' floor and weighs a little over 1700 pounds empty. I've never had a slide in camper before, so here's my stupid question: when the camper is on the ground, how much weight can be in the cab over area where the bed is before it tips over?  Am I ok to be up there, or will I learn an expensive lesson?

Thanks for any help.

[Southpole]

We just bought a camper too, trust me there's no such thing as a stupid question 

[Encore 280]

I believe your front jacks are forward of center and most of the camper weight is aft of that, you should be fine but then it all depends how big of a guy you are too or should I say; "it all depends how much weight you plan on putting up there".

[andersonjk4]

 

I've had a 7 foot camper for several years now and I've never had any issues with climbing into the cab over area. Make sure your on a level spot and jacks are stable and locked and you have something (I use saw horses) under the bottom in case you have a jack fail or loose pressure and you are good to go.

[nastybynature]

Been rolling around in my Lance camper since 2008 now and remember thinking the same thing when I first bought it. Then I saw a promotional picture of about 9-10 big guys sitting on top of the front of a lance camper while is was on the ground. That was probably over 2K lbs. and I am guessing the front would have busted off before it would tip over. I think I saw that picture over at rv.net which BTW is a great resource for camper info and neat DIY upgrades. So to answer your question, it won't tip over. I have had mine fully loaded up on the bed and had it on the ground and never had any problem. Congrats on your new piggyback home away from home. We have used ours from everything to camping/boondocking to parking it on the Starlight Parade route and watching the parade when my oldest was in band in high school. I love how I can park anywhere a car can and can go anywhere my truck goes as long as there isn't overhead hazards. I have had mine at Sandlake Dunes area in the Big Bowl and in the Blue Mountians where you would never take a travel trailer. 

[poopooheaddad]

What Encore said
your center of gravity is more towards your rear jacks, I would lower the camper as much as possible, and use saw hoarses if you can (lowes has some cool fold up plastic ones) near the center just incase your jack mounts are weak or your corners are soft ( older camper left out in the elements)

[Encore 280]

I've got mine sitting on four little stands you can get at rv places or hardware stores. I used a forsner bit and drilled a pilot type hole for the center of the stand. Try to have your camper on a little bit of an incline so when it rains the water runs off rather than sitting on the top.

[Kittman]

As the camper is older, it would be a good idea as others have mentioned to not constantly have all of the weight resting on the camper's jacks.  To allow for material degradation of the camper jacks mounting areas due to age, use sawhorses, dunnage or something solid to rest the camper floor on that does not allow movement of the jack mounts. 

[follow maggie]

Thanks for the help, everyone. Everything works except the fridge. the corner jacks need to be replaced and the linoleum. I'm also going to coat the entire thing with a rubber coating, since that's what I do for a living. All in all, I think it was good buy at $1300

[follow maggie]

Thanks, everyone, for the tips. I have the camper set on jack stands in the driveway like some have recommended. I got the nerve this afternoon to climb up into the bed in th can over area, and th camper didn't even budge. I appreciate the help from you guys,and am looking forward to getting it out on the field.

[Mark251]

Congratulations on your new camper!  I've used a slide-in camper for years.  When I first started using it, I was worried about the weight in the front as well but it's never been a problem.  I use concrete blocks under the camper when I'm not using it just to take the weight off of the jacks. I set the blocks, 2-high, under each corner of the camper and run a section of 2" by 8" board between the blocks.  Works well.  Enjoy that new camper!

[coachcw]

Make a box that locks together uses 2x4  and plywood folds up and sits under camper when intruck. Three pieces of plywood on each end in the shape of a I beam cut slots in ply half way then lock together.

[follow maggie]

I was really surprised at the weight of it. The mfr weight on the title is 1700. I took it to a certified scale here in town that the dol & state patrol use and it's 2700 pounds. For the life of me I can't figure what makes that little camper weigh so much. It doesn't have ac and all the tanks are empty.

[Buzz2401]

Water logged.  You'd be surprised how many campers look fine on outside and are actually rotten and water logged.

[follow maggie]

It's actually bone dry. I've taken some of the siding off to see the inside of the corners for bracing the new jack brackets I'm making and all the framing is dry as kindling. It's just a heavy little camper, I guess. I went to Yakima to get one that hadn't spent its life sitting in the rain just for that purpose.